A report by US congressional research service (CRS) has showered praise on him saying Gujarat is India’s best example of effective governance.
After the Supreme Court verdict, there is some more good news for Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi. A report by US congressional research service (CRS) has showered praise on him saying Gujarat is India’s best example of effective governance, and Modi is among BJP’s likely candidates for prime minister in future elections.
“Perhaps, India’s best example of effective governance and impressive development is found in Gujarat, where controversial chief minister Narendra Modi has streamlined economic processes, removing red tape and curtailing corruption in ways that have made the state a key driver of national economic growth,” the report says.
An independent wing of the US Congress, the CRS prepares periodic reports on issues of interest to lawmakers. The 94-page report, which was released for US lawmakers on September 1, was made public by the Federation of American Scientists on Wednesday.
A broader interpretation of the report hints at a battle between Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi and Modi in 2014. The CRS pegs Rahul as Congress’s most likely PM candidate and Modi as BJP’s.
The report says Modi has overseen heavy investment in roads and power infrastructure and annual growth of more than 11% in recent years. “With only 5% of India’s population, Gujarat accounts for more than one-fifth of the country’s exports,” it says.
The report adds that despite political and economic successes in Gujarat, Modi continues to be haunted by the 2002 riots, a topic he has never fully addressed in public.
“More than nine years after the riots, international, human rights groups continue to express concern about obstacles faced by victims seeking justice, the continuing internal displacement of thousands of families and a large number of uninvestigated related criminal cases,” it says.
The CRS says Modi is among the party’s likely candidates for the post of prime minister in future elections. However, Modi’s aspirations to be BJP’s prime ministerial candidate face significant obstacles, it cautions.
Besides Gujarat, the report also cites Bihar as another positive example in 2011. It credits Bihar CM Nitish Kumar with success in emphasising good governance over caste-based politics, with restoring law and order as well as overseeing infrastructural and educational projects of direct benefit to citizens.
The CRS said the examples set up Modi and Nitish Kumar may have inspired Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati, who has shifted her focus towards infrastructure projects such as road building and improving the state’s poor energy grid.
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